Historically, users in an organization shared digital content with other users in the organization by hand carrying or otherwise transporting portable physical media such as floppy disks between computers. In recent years, however, data networks that interconnect computers allow users to send digital content to each other without having to transport physical media. For example, a user can send a file to another user as an attachment to an e-mail message. The digital content could include files, documents, audio, video, images, and other types of digital content.
Today, in addition to historical methods, users share digital content by making it available for access on network file servers. Generally, a network file server (or just “file server”) is a computer attached to a network providing a central location for shared storage of digital content. Typically, users create, update, modify, and delete shared digital content at the file server from their computer workstations which are also attached to the same network.
For example, a director of a sales department may create a file folder for containing pertinent sales team documents on the shared storage of a company file server for access by members of her sales team. Unfortunately, the sales director may not be able to provide access to the folder to her team members without coordinating with the company IT administrator, who in many organizations is overburdened and overworked. This is because in many organizations only the IT administrator is authorized to change access permissions associated with shared digital content on file servers.
A related problem is that a file server folder may be created with default permissions that are too permissive. For example, the file server folder created by the sales director may have default permissions that allow all employees in the company to access the folder which may not be desired by the sales director. Again, because of company policy, the sales director may have to coordinate with the IT administrator to restrict access to the folder to only her sales team, which can be a frustrating and time-consuming process.
Yet another problem with using network file server folders for sharing content is that users may not have access to the folders when the file server is unavailable or blocked (e.g., when users attempt to access the file server from outside the company network firewall), thereby making the users less productive in disconnected network environments.
What is needed is a solution for sharing digital content within a team of users. The solution should reduce administrative steps necessary to grant and revoke team member access to shared digital content. The solution should also facilitate access to shared content in disconnected network environments. The present invention provides a solution for these and other needs.